Saracens cement place in cup final
Saracens ……….36pts
Tries: Cleall 5, 19; Penalty 32, Kasolo 34, Gondwe 39, Clapp 43
Conversions: MacDougall 35, 39
Exeter Chiefs ..29pts
Tries: Rogers 47, 55; Nielson 50, 74; Swann 80
Conversions: Wilkins 48, 80
Saracens secured their spot in the Allianz Cup final after a see-saw match that saw 11 tries and seven yellow cards as they ended Exeter Chiefs' run in the competition.
Player of the match May Campbell reflected on what was a “genuine game of two halves”.
She said: “We started brilliantly and we were relentless in that first half. We know Exeter are too strong a side to let them off the hook but we did that with our discipline in the second half.
“They are a great side and they showed that in the second period. There's lots for us to work on, but we're delighted to be in the cup final.”
In front of the home crowd, Saracens started the strongest, with Bryony Cleall going over from a maul, before scoring a second shortly after, as she ran backwards over the line with Exeter players clutching at her legs.
The Chiefs then lost both Clara Nielson and Linde van der Velden to the bin in a chaotic 20 second period in which a rampant Saracens scored their third thanks to a penalty try.
The visitors then went down to 12 players, as Demi Swann saw yellow for cynically killing the ball after a searing break from Campbell. With a three-player advantage, Sarries wasted no time making the most of their opportunities, with Sharifa Kasolo and Akina Gondwe both going over before the half was up to take their side 31 points clear.
At the start of the second half, Exeter had looked to respond, but Lotte Clapp chased her own kick through and pressurised Brooke Bradley into mis-controlling the ball, to score Saracens' sixth try.
Exeter are too good a side to go away though and they hit back as prop Hope Roger barrelled over from close range.
Saracens then lost Campbell to a yellow card for killing the ball and Exeter quickly added a second try through Clara Nielson. Rogers scored her second, with Leanne Infante shown a yellow card.
Sarries did well initially to hold back the Chiefs attack, as their set-piece got them out of jail on numerous occasions, but the Devonians stuck in the fight with Nielson crossing for her second to narrow the gap, before Saracens lost both Cleall and Kasolo to the bin, with Demi Swann going over at the death.
REFEREE: Alex Thomas
ATTENDANCE: 984
Star player May Campbell -Saracens
